Polyurethane Covered Bearings

A wide variety of standard bore options are available for polyurethane bonded bearings, with the ability to customize to your exact bore requirements for all volumes. Most center bores have a tight tolerance of +0.001/- 0.000”; tighter tolerances are available upon request.

The outside diameter of polyurethane covered bearings is molded exactly to size. Meridian Laboratory has the ability to mold to your exact specification without grinding or abrasive finishing, guaranteeing repeatable results. Typical tolerances of molded diameters are +/-0.003” but can be delivered with tighter tolerances if desired.

A variety of standard width offerings for polyurethane bearings are available with the ability to customize to your exact requirements for all volumes.

The thickness of ML6 polyurethane for polyurethane covered bearings can be specified to meet the specific requirements of your product or application. Generally speaking, thicker urethane will support a greater load rating than a thinner layer of the same durometer.

A wide variety of SAE sizes are offered to meet your specific needs. Not all sizes are listed online – for specific requirements, reach out to us!

A wide variety of metric sizes are offered to meet your specific needs. Not all sizes are listed online – for specific requirements, reach out to us!

The surface profile shape of polyurethane coated bearings can be molded to the exact dimensional requirements of your specific needs without grinding or abrasive manufacturing techniques. This guarantees the best repeatability between parts, durability, and overall tolerances. We often mold crowned (convex or concave), ribbed, V-groove, slotted, and other shapes free of a noticeable parting line on the surface.

Polyurethane covered bearings are offered in a wide variety of standard and custom bearing sizes. They are ideal for higher speed and/or higher load applications. Meridian Laboratory has the ability to adhere and mold directly to the bearing race, effectively and without tear off.

Our standard offerings of polyurethane coated bearings feature name-brand, high-quality bearings that match the precision and quality of our molded polyurethane. However, we can mold our polyurethane bearings to bearings of all types and price points to meet the performance and budget requirements for your application.

Meridian Laboratory molds ML6 polyurethane directly to a wide variety of metals, including but not limited to: aluminum, steel, stainless steel, titanium, brass, copper, and nickel. The bond strength between ML6 polyurethane and the metal core material is extremely strong and resists tear-off and delamination.

Meridian Laboratory molds ML6 polyurethane directly to a wide variety of plastics, including but not limited to: Nylon, polycarbonate, PEEK, acetal, and ABS. Meridian Laboratory can mold efficiently to a variety of 3D printed plastics as well. The bond strength between ML6 polyurethane and the plastic core material is extremely strong and resists tear-off and delamination.

Our standard colors for polyurethane covered bearings include yellow, blue, orange, black, red, white, green, clear, and purple. For our standard Polyurethane Bearing offerings, these colors are correlated to a specific durometer for simple identification of different parts. However, Meridian Laboratory also offers the ability to deliver any custom polyurethane colors to your specific preference in all volumes.

For food sensitive applications, Meridian Laboratory can provide FDA-Compliant polyurethane covered bearings. We offer FDA Dry-approved formulations for applications that involve direct contact with dry foods or that will be in the vicinity of the product, such as its packaging. We also offer more stringent FDA Wet-approved formulas for applications that are in direct contact with wet/fatty foods or that will be exposed to heavy moisture and washdown. In addition to the FDA approved polyurethane formulas, we can also make the other components that require overmolding using stainless steel components, FDA approved bearings, etc. in order to deliver complete FDA compliant parts.

The hardness of any soft material such as rubber, plastic, polyurethane, or non-metallic material is measured in durometer, which is similar to how metals are measured on the Rockwell scale. There are various scales used to measure the durometer to encompass the wide range of hardness that these materials come in.

The Shore A hardness scale is the most commonly used scale in production and manufacturing applications due to its wide range and versatility of uses within the scale. The Shore A scale can range from parts that are flexible and soft in nature (0-40A), to semi-flexible and medium-hard (50-80A), to hard and rigid (90-100A). Meridian Laboratory operates primarily in the Shore A scale and offers 40A, 55A, 70A, 80A, 90A in durometer choices, but is not limited to these durometers.

The hardest scale in plastic, rubber, and polyurethane measurement is Shore D. Shore D can most commonly be associated with hard rubbers and plastics. Meridian Laboratory offers precision molded polyurethane parts in the Shore D scale up to 75D, being very hard and rigid.

Anti-static polyurethane covered bearings are offered to reduce the amount of static build-up over time.

Unlike many other standard and custom polyurethane covered bearing manufacturers, Meridian Laboratory is the proprietary developer of our specially blended ML6 polyurethane. ML6 polyurethane is specifically designed for use in industrial, manufacturing, and other environments where precision, durability, and quality are critical. Meridian Laboratory utilizes the highest quality raw materials to ensure that the best end products are produced. We can fine tune our exclusive recipes of ML6 polyurethane to meet the exact needs for your application.

For wet, washdown, or high moisture environments where polyurethane molded bearings are used, Meridian Laboratory offers unique polyurethane formulas to ensure the consistency and performance of the polyurethane is maintained.

Meridian Laboratory offers polyurethane covered bearings with dual durometers. Drive belts and wheels would be a good example where a more rigid durometer is used on the inner diameter for mounting, and a softer durometer is used on the outside diameter to add friction to drive materials. The bond strength between the two durometers remains strong and without any compromise.

The standard finish of polyurethane bonded bearings features a smooth, blemish-free, and high-grip surface on all molded portions of the part. This surface finish maximizes friction / grip while minimizing wear. Contrary to conventional belief, this finish provides the maximum amount of traction – similar to the way a racing slick provides the maximum traction with the asphalt surface it comes in contact with.

A matte surface finish can be specified for parts where friction / grip is not desired, or for applications with light materials like plastic films, which could potentially stick to a tacky surface. A matte finish will still provide the friction drive benefits which ML6 polyurethane is known for, while allowing light parts to be released from the contact surface.